For as far back as the history of humanity has been recorded, the use of jewelry and decorative objects has been an integral part of life. Gold, silver, platinum and other precious metals have been shaped into rings, broaches, pins, pendants, bracelets, anklets, wrist bands, and the like. To these decorative objects of art have been added diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires and other precious and semi-precious stones. Other decorative jewelry has also been made from many other materials, as each piece of jewelry becomes an expression of art and of beauty as seen by the craftsman and the person selecting or wearing the jewelry.
While many beautiful pieces have been created over the centuries, and while the most exclusive and expensive examples of the jeweler's art are worn, if at all, only on `special` occasions, some jewelry is worn on a regular basis. Wedding and engagement rings may never be removed during the lifetime of the wedded couple. Other `favorite jewelry` such as mother's rings, school rings, identification bracelets and the like are also worn all the time. In either case, whether a piece of jewelry is seldom if ever worn or if it is never not in use, the jewelry can and does get dirty. Ordinary dirt, grease, makeup, oil, food, and all the other contaminants of life contact the jewelry and, in most cases, decrease the visual brilliance of the piece. Gold and diamonds possess eternal beauty, but that beauty is not as evident when the gold or diamond is covered with dirt.
Extremely rare or valuable jewelry is often cleaned only by professional jewelers and gem smiths who use optimum techniques to preserve and restore the essential beauty of the metal and stone. These procedures are expensive, time consuming and virtually inappropriate for the more frequently used jewelry, if only because of the inconvenience and cost which their use entails. Unfortunately, to the present time there has not been offered a satisfactory alternative to the professional cleaning that admittedly does a fine job but which is also impractical. For that reason, if really nice jewelry is worn a few times and becomes dirty, and if it is an occasional piece, such as a pendant worn in more formal occasions, it looses its beauty and in time and no longer gets worn, unless it is taken to a jeweler for cleaning. Too often that option is ignored or forgotten. One may only remember that the piece needs cleaning when one is about to wear it, which is not the time to go to the jewelry store to have it cleaned.
If the jewelry is always in use, there is the reluctance to part with it even for cleaning. Unfortunately, as more dirt and grease slowly accumulated on it, the brilliance slowly decreases, so that its former beauty is not even remembered. Only when it is cleaned is the former condition recalled. It would be a great advantage to those who wear jewelry to have some way to clean that jewelry conveniently and quickly, at home or while traveling without involving a lot of difficulty.
There have been several proposed solutions for alternatives to having a jeweler clean jewelry and other valuable items. Silver polish is, of course, an alternative which can be used for some items. However, even that does not permit removal of dirt, tarnish and other contaminants from the crevices and corners of the silverware. Ultrasonic cleaners are also proposed and, in fact, are used by professional jewelers to clean rings and the like. However, vibration from ultrasonic waves does not remove dirt, grease, and the like. It is the action of soap or other cleaning solvents in the ultrasound bath which accomplishes the cleaning. Also, ultrasound devices are not normally considered desirable objects to place in the dressing area of a home, so that they are either stored and sometimes too much trouble to unpack or are in remote areas of the house where the impulse to select certain jewelry is lost before the ultrasound can be found and made operable.
It is a fact of the industry that people who clean jewelry often think of that task only when the jewelry is being selected. This impulse selection often brings frustration rather than the pleasure that the jewelry is intended to bring.
Another facet of modern life has become concerned with cleaning specific objects quickly and without fuss. That facet is the game of golf, which has become an integral part of society all over the world and particularly in the United States. Imported from Scotland, golf has become one of the largest participant sports and it is also a great spectator sport. As a spectator sport, with touring professional golfers and the many who help and serve them, golf is an elite game where no one ever gets dirty. The professional golfers dress as trend setting fashion leaders, with the most up-to-date clothing. Of course, they are spotlessly clean since the caddies and assistants do everything but swing the club. Clubs and balls are cleaned for them at the clubhouse, by pro-shop attendants or manufacturer's representatives. Everything is clean and nice for the touring professional golfer.
Another class of golfers, perhaps one level down in status, are the exclusive country club golfers who have membership at one or more of the finest golf clubs in the country. The lifestyle at these upscale establishments is comfortable and expensive. Once again, the persons playing golf are treated with deference befitting the prices that are paid for the opportunity or privilege of playing at these courses. Once again, the clubs and balls are cleaned for them at the clubhouse. Everything is nice for the country club golfer.
By far the majority of golfers in the United States are neither touring professionals nor members of exclusive golf clubs. Rather, the average golfer is a lot like the average person in the United States, perhaps a bit more affluent than the bottom of the middle class, but certainly not members of the wealthiest class who can afford to have everything done for them. Yet the ambiance and aura of golfing proclaims that it is a sport or game played with style and good appearances. Finishing touches are important, whether in selecting a color coordinated shirt, slacks and socks, or in having golfing equipment that is bright and shinny, looking as though it is well cared for.
This means that the golfer has to clean the golf clubs and the golf balls, most often for himself or herself, in anticipation of the game to be played at a later date. This means that dirt, mud, grass stains, and the like will have dried on the clubs, clogging the face of the clubs. Golf balls will be stained and dirty, as is inevitable at the end of a round of golf. And while the first hour or so after the game is completed is the most effective time to clean the golf equipment, it is the least opportune time from a social perspective. The golf "culture" has just not developed an attitude that equipment must be cleaned as soon as it is used, such as is done when fishing or hunting. One goes to the "19th tee" for social discussion and replaying the round in conversation.
One does not take the time to scrub golf balls, wash tees, scrape and clean golf club heads. That comes later, at home or when there is an anticipated game to be prepared for. The alternative is to leave the equipment with an attendant in the pro-shop or club house to have it cleaned, adding to the cost of the game. In either case, persons seeking to relax and enjoy the game of golf have to use either their time or their money to clean their golf equipment, and neither of these opportunities are relaxing. It would be a great advantage to those who play golf to have some way to clean their equipment conveniently and quickly, preferably as soon as the game is completed, and without involving a lot of difficulty or time.
It would be a great advantage to those who play golf to have some way to clean their equipment on site, at the golf course, quickly and conveniently, so that the desired social aspects of the game can be conducted without distraction. What would be ideal, and what is not presently available, is a way to clean golf equipment by quickly placing the equipment in a cleaning environment and going about the social business while the equipment is being safely cleaned.
While no one has directly suggested a formulation for cleaning jewelry or other objects such as golf balls and golf equipment, some of the components of the present invention have been employed in other art. Gergely U.S. Pat. No. 4,417,993 describes a cleaning tablet for tooth prostheses in which a long lasting effervescence is produced using a multiple chemical component system. The chemicals themselves are timed to produce the effervescence.
This same inventor has had several patents which relate to the method of making tablets of this type. Gergely U.S. Pat. No. 3,773,922 describes another method of manufacturing effervescent tablets, this time for dispensing medicine. Both systems use sodium bicarbonate and an acid to generate effervescence, although neither patent suggests that difficult to clean jewelry could be cleaned by such a concept, since it is of course true that effervescence alone does not clean objects.
The idea of using effervescence generation from sodium bicarbonate and citric acid is not new. Greenblatt, U.S. Pat. No. 2,105,690 teaches that it is old to have an effervescent tablet using potassium bicarbonate and citric acid. Elias U.S. Pat. No. 2,854,377 introduces the use of surface active agents. Keast et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,367,876 discloses sodium tripolyphosphate in large concentrations to increase the rate of dissolution of the general cleaning formulations disclosed therein. Schmitt U.S. Pat. No. 3,639,568 discloses the use of sodium lauryl sulfate in tablets that effervesce. Hill U.S. Pat. No. 3,704,227 discloses various sulfonates and colloidal silica for related compounds. There is no suggestion in any of these patents that cleaners can be effective using these starting materials.
Barth U.S. Pat. No. 3,607,759 discloses citric acid, sodium bicarbonate and a surfactant. The Barth '759 product is said to be packaged in bulk or wrapped in tin foil, cellophane or other material. Barth '759 does not teach compaction to produce effervescence for an extended period of time, such as at least 15 minutes. Barth '759 actually leads away from this concept. Specifically, Barth '759 teaches two things. First is that the molding pressures are conventional. See column 5, lines 5 and 6, for one instance, where normal pressure is identified as 3-5 tons. Tablets are said to have sharp edges and clean surfaces. Tablets of citric acid and sodium bicarbonate that are compressed in this manner have been found to have effervescence for no more than about 3 to 5 minutes.
Barth '759 is concerned with producing a clear solution having a substantially neutral pH, as stated at column 4, lines 37 ff. Barth '759 also recognizes that timing is needed to accomplish the cleaning and teaches that a dye is necessary to achieve that timing effect. See the paragraph bridging columns 4 and 5 and the discussion of dyes. Nothing even hints that the effervescence can function as a timing agent.
Barth U.S. Pat. No. 4,180,467 is a related patent by the same inventor and assigned to the same company. Barth '467 describes a composition for denture cleaning with sustained carbon dioxide effervescence and also requires the use of a solid material such as potassium persulfate. Barth discloses a powder that has extended effervescence which is generated by a two phase system where an acid anhydride is employed to extend the effervescence. Barth '467, uses peroxygen salts to extend the effervescence of the product described in Barth '759. See Column 1, lines 27 ff. of Barth '467, which states, "Another problem encountered by the prior art denture soak products is the lack of sustained effervescence which is desirable to effect complete cleansing of the dentures as well as act as an indicator of the completion of said cleansing action." This is a clear statement that the Barth product of either patent does not effervesce for any significant period of time.
The two Barth patents are silent as to the problem but Barth '467 adds a second ingredient to begin effervescence after the materials used in Barth '759 no longer effervesce. Thus the clear teaching of these patents is that other effervescent sources are needed because the citric acid and sodium bicarbonate combination does not produce effervescence for at least 15 minutes.
Other patents which use effervescence in some manner are Krisp et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,217,234, using tetrafluoroethylene materials; Tarral et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,824,664 disclosing a reaction product of sodium bicarbonate and citric acid where the reaction is stopped at a partial completion by application of vacuum; Duvall U.S. Pat. No. 4,942,039 describing a low sodium antacid with aspirin or the like included; Young U.S. Pat. No. 5,055,305 also using a two component systems to provide effervescence under acidic and alkaline conditions to prolong the reaction; and finally, Gioffre et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,818,518 disclosing an alternative source of carbon dioxide.
Fry U.S. Pat. No. 5,225,100 discloses a system in which too much compaction prevents appropriate dissolution, at column 4, lines 57 ff. The compaction is not suggested to be a factor in effervescence. The appropriate time for the tablet to dissolve in Fry to 50% is 4 minutes or less and to 90% is 8 minutes or less. Longer dissolution times would be directly contrary to the teachings of Fry.
Fry does disclose in column 5, lines 54 and following, that some amount of effervescent agent be added. However this disclosure merely suggests that the effervescent ingredients are added to aid in dispersion of the detergents, not to produce effervescence, and no suggestion that effervescence beyond dispersion would be desirable. In point of fact, Fry's products are used in machines which generate turbulence as part of the washing function and additional effervescence would not even be noticed. Fry intends his products to be used in washing machines under substantial agitation for the heavy duty fabric washing.
In summary, there is no teaching in the prior art of the use of a compressed formulation having a delaying action for the effervescence due to the compression, to thereby allow the detergent to work and prevent the user from stopping the cleaning. This is not shown or suggested in the prior art.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for cleaning and restoring jewelry as broadly defined herein to a clean, visually appealing condition with as little effort on behalf of the owner as possible.
Another object of this invention is to provide a formulation which is usable at home or while traveling, and which does not require significant equipment to implement complete cleaning and restoring jewelry.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a formulation which guides the user to complete the cleaning process before removing the jewelry from the process.
Still another object of the present invention to provide a method for cleaning and restoring golf equipment as broadly defined herein to a clean, visually appealing condition with as little effort on behalf of the owner as possible.
Another object of this invention is to provide a formulation which is usable at the golf course immediately after the golf game, when the equipment is most easily cleaned, and which does not require significant investment to implement complete cleaning and restoring of the equipment.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a formulation which guides the user to complete the cleaning process before removing the golf equipment from the process.
Other objects will appear hereinafter.